1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of birdfeeders and more specifically relates to a universal birdfeeder hanger system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A popular pastime with many nature enthusiasts is bird watching. More serious enthusiasts travel to locations where certain species of birds can be photographed in the wild but many people neither have the time to travel nor can afford the expense very regularly. An alternative is bringing the bird species to the preferred location for easy and non-expensive viewing. To accomplish this, one of the best methods is to provide feed that attracts the desired species of bird. Homeowners often place birdfeeders in their yard for convenient viewing which allows the homeowner to go relatively unnoticed by the birds. An erroneous assumption is that the feeders need to be located away from the windows for the safety of the birds. However, the instructional website about.com, the National Bird Feeding Society, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the Audubon Society all recommend placing bird feeders within three feet of windows if possible. Studies show the birds will fly to the feeders and not past them. Home owners should have bird feeders located so that the birds can be viewed from just inside of the house by a window, or near a seating place on a porch. This greatly increases the enjoyment of feeding birds; seeing them gather seed up close.
Bird feeders are made in a variety of ways. Some feeders place the feed in the interior of an enclosure with an entrance hole sized to eliminate larger unwanted species, in addition to customizing the feed for the desired species. Bird feeders can be rigidly attached to a solid structure or suspended by a cord. Some suspension systems for hanging feeders can be either expensive, or expensive to construct. The general problem with suspended bird feeders is that they have to be located high enough to provide protection from ground predators. It follows then that the person refilling the bird seed has to employ a ladder to reach them. This can be very laborious and dangerous for elderly people. The seriousness of injuries from falls from ladders increase exponentially with age. A simple, less labor intensive and safer alternative is needed.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pub. No. 5,503,108 to Donald J. Shaw, U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,732 to Robert G. Neal, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,606 to Paul P. Racine, U.S. Pub No. 2003/0019436 to Timothy Nicholas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,632 to Vail Arthur E, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,245,441 to Pamela J. Domek. This art is representative of adjustable height birdfeeder suspension systems. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a bird feeder suspension system should provide ease of use for reaching for maintenance and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable universal bird feeder hanger system to avoid the above-mentioned problems, and provide the home owner with the enjoyment of viewing birds from inside their home, while birds are feeding outside, next to a window.